The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for printing ink on a recording medium.
Conventional ink printers make use of ink which comprises a dye or pigment dispersed in a solvent. Due to the drying of solvent, the viscosity of ink tends to increase with a resultant decrease in operating performance. If the printer is left to stand still, the nozzle openings are clogged by the coloring agent. The printer must receive frequent services to keep the nozzle openings clean. Because of the clogging problem, limitations are imposed on the types of material to be used for the dye and on the amount of the dye to be mixed with the solvent. The printer's sensistivity to clogging further prevents the use of binders which increase the luster and the light-proof characteristic of printed images. In addition, for multi-color or full-color printing, individual recording heads must be provided for the different colors. This add to the complexity of the printer.